Jungle drake

From PathfinderWiki
Jungle drake
A jungle drake.
(Creature)

Jungle drakes are jungle-dwelling venomous drakes thought to be related to horned dragons.123

Appearance

A jungle drake is lean, muscular, and rugged, with skin mottled in blue and green. Its elongated tail ends in a poisonous barbed stinger4 and its wings are tipped with vestigial claws.3 A typical jungle drake is 14 feet long and weighs around 2,100 pounds.45

Abilities

Jungle drakes' vestigial claws help them climb. Its bite, which they use to grab and carry prey, is not venomous, but they have a quick venomous tail stinger and can spit the same venom as a sticky glob of phlegm that explodes into a noxious cloud.3

They are especially adept at passing through otherwise impeding plants, such as bushes, undergrowth, and vines and including those manipulated by magic.3

Like most dragons, jungle drakes can naturally see in the dark and detect nearby creatures by their scent. They are immune to being paralyzed, put to sleep, or poisoned like horned dragons but also to diseases. They can speak and understand Draconic.3

Ecology

Jungle drakes prefer to hunt using hit-and-run attacks, and can move swiftly through jungle foliage. When faced with a group of creatures, they tend to pick off the weaker member to drag into the jungle to consume.23 They also inject prey with their toxin and allow it to debilitate enemies before re-emerging and snatching foes into the jungle. Against stronger foes, jungle drakes prefer to let natural hazards wear them down before striking and then fleeing with their food.46

On Golarion

Jungles drakes live in the depths of the Maharev Jungle in the desert kingdom of Qadira, where they are often captured and trained by a particularly vicious band of jungle giants who worship the fey Eldest known as the Green Mother.7

References

  1. Paizo retroactively replaced some references to green dragons with horned dragons in the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. See Meta:Horned dragon and Meta:Chromatic dragon.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Logan Bonner, et al. “Monsters A-Z” in Bestiary, 132. Paizo Inc., 2019
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Logan Bonner, et al. Drake” in Monster Core, 130. Paizo Inc., 2024
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Monsters A to Z” in Bestiary 5, 100. Paizo Inc., 2015
  5. The same artwork is used in non-canon Bestiary 5 and Monster Core, so the physical description from Bestiary 5 is presumably canonized.
  6. Rachael Cruz. (October 6, 2023). Iconic Encounter: Jungle Trouble, Paizo Blog.
  7. Jessica Price. “Adventuring in Qadira” in Qadira, Jewel of the East, 38. Paizo Inc., 2017